Although it began to be talked about in 2006 as a possible substitute for current silicon-based chips , the truth is that it is now when we see its real inclusion in the market for computing devices.
The PCM memory ( Phase Change Memory ) or phase change memory is based on a special type of crystal, chalcogen crystal, composed of germanium, antimony and tellurium, capable of changing its structure or shape due to heat.
Thus, by applying small electrical pulses to isolated cells of this amorphous crystal, it is possible to modify its morphology in order to store data , since when it changes its shape, its electrical resistance also changes , a property used to determine the basic binary states of zero and one. to generate memory.
Advantages over silicon chips
His greatest asset is above all speed. This amorphous conglomerate can exceed the reading and writing speed of today’s memories by thousands of times.
It is a non-volatile memory , that is, it maintains the information even if it does not have power, so it can function as a storage device similar to the well-known SSDs.
Its life time is also longer: it takes longer to degrade since, in theory, it can reach 100 million write cycles.
IBM milestone in 2016
The IBM company has been experimenting with this phase change memory for many years. In 2001 he managed to store a bit in a memory cell. Five years later, in 2016 it just announced that it has managed to store just twice as much: two bits in a single memory cell . A considerable advance in the density of this memory that in the future could replace silicon.
Image credit: IBM Research
